Easter - BASI Level 2 in Tux or ICE in Val D'Isere

I'm hoping to book my Level 2 for This Easter, and have a choice of places to do it - the BASI course in Hintertux, or the same course through ICE in Val D'Isere. All costs factored in there's not a whole lot in it price-wise. Does anyone have any recommendations, experience or comments about either option?

Thanks in advance!

Denry

Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person

Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person

Val d'Isere would be my recommendation. There are dozens of different BASI courses running in Tux at the same time and it can get a bit intense. Likely to be two L2 groups only with ICE in Val d'Isere.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Sounds like good advice @rob@rar, Their outfit looks very professional and I've been told their instructors are all very experienced.

@Duplo, yes, ICE is a good setup, with some great Trainers. I did my L1 with them.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

ICE-spent 4 weeks with them last season doing a performance course along with BASI courses and students. They are a great bunch of instructors-as well as being excellent at their job, they are just really people with it.

ICE are top guys and Val/Tignes will be lovely and quiet come the 17th April. I've attended BASI courses ran by ICE on a board and ski's and their trainers are some of the very top BASI guys. Demo team members etc.

Great trainers and they are delivering a BASI product so for me it just depends on travel arrangements and the other factor that Robrar mentioned that Tux will be BASIland central.

I actually did the same course your thinking of in April 2016 with ICE in Val. I stayed in Tignes at the 'Tignes Chalet Company' Lavachet lodge even though the course started each morning in La Daille in val d'Isere.

It was a good value way to do a 'catered' option whilst doing the BASI course. I did not want to cook and clean while I was busy with BASI stuff and it free'd me up to just concentrate on the BASI skiing, teaching and homework.

I caught the new Tovier bubble each morning from Tignes le Lac at 8:45am (Used to be Aeroski) and met the trainer and other candidates at the top of the La Daille Funicular at 9:05am. I asked the ICE guys about this and they were fine with it.

After the days skiing the lectures were in Val (La Daiile) most days but there is a bus that runs from Val to Tignes every evening at 5:25, 6:35 and 7:45pm which only cost a few euro.

My son did L2 BASI at Hintertux last season. He didn't like the place and only 2 out of 10 on his course passed (and they were both "former GB squad skiers")

Another guy we know, who is a higher level instructor, told him that he knows the particular instructor/examiner and that he always has a low number of passes on his course.

After all it is free

After all it is free

My Lad is going to be doing L1 in Val D with ICE at Easter, looking forward to a nice quiet week on the slopes while he toils away!

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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.

@Duplo,

A friend of mine wanted to book onto the ICE course in April but said it was full so booked the course in Hintertux. Not sure if this is still the case? I did my L1 with them last year and it was a great set up.

Jon

Ski the Net with snowHeads

Ski the Net with snowHeads

Thanks everyone for you imput. Sounds Like ICE are a great company to do BASI courses with.

@jonkgray78, It seems to be still available on the website, but I guess they may not update it regularly enough.

All that being said, now I've done a more accurate costing it seems Hintertux will work out around £300 cheaper than Val d'Isere. Mainly because if the much more expensive accommodation, even at the very cheapest end of the spectrum. And there are loads of folk doing BASI courses in Hintertux to potentially share costs with.

Although ICE sounds great, I'm not sure it's worth the £300 more for accommodation for essentially the same course.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

It will be more or less exactly the same course.

It's a BASI course whoever runs it. The ICE guys simply put on BASI jackets and run the BASI course as they are a BASI business partner. This happens elsewhere such as BASS Ski school in Morzine. The BASS Morzine guys swap there BASS jackets for BASI ones and run a BASI product.

I was slightly surprised when I attended the course last year in Val with ICE as I perceived that the 'pitches' which were chosen for the assessments were on the upper end of the rating scale regarding difficulty when skiing the 'strands'.

My perception could have been because I was simply not at the level and/or it could have been that the Espace Killy in General is steeper than most area's.

I have previously passed the BASI Snowboard L2 in Val with ICE so maybe it was just the fact that I was simply not a strong enough skier at the time.

I failed the Ski L2 with ICE last April and it was a fair assessment of my skiing but I got a great action plan at the end of the course from the trainer. I'm half way through the same L2, two x week course again now in Morzine and have managed to use my action plan to develop my skiing this winter.

ICE have a facebook page where fellow candidates can discuss travel arrangements and sharing accom. Tux will have loads of BASI people heading that way so loads of people on the BASI facebook page to reach out to.

RE: Availability, I think ICE added a second L2 Ski group for the course starting on the 17th April a few weeks ago.

The ICE/BASI Ski trainer on my course was superb, fair and objective and BASI nearly always have a 2nd BASI trainer swing by on the snow on L2 courses to double check the trainers assessment and ensure consistency. This happens if it's Tux or Val or wherever.

I still would recommend catered at the Lavachet lodge with the Tignes Chalet company and skiing over each morning. The bus that brings you back to Tignes stops right opposite the apartments in la daille where the lecture is each evening so it's dead easy to get back around to Tignes at the end of the day and the Lavachet lodge is very good value. Tignes Chalet company can arrange lift pass, transfers and accom.

Good luck Denry, remember to really try and make the adjustments the trainer wants to see. They want to see you ski the BASI way in the stands. PM me for any advice re: L2 course questions.

And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.

And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.

@Duplo, I'd echo the comments to chose ICE and Val D'Isere over 'Tux.

@@247snowman, good luck I failed my L2 the first time, but happily like you got a solid action plan and passed my resit. I know how stressful the resit is!

I personally wouldn't stay in Tignes. We had a 9am meet most days so too early to ski over. Some guys drove over every day and were late twice (due to snow on the road over)

So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much

So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much

kitenski wrote:

I personally wouldn't stay in Tignes. We had a 9am meet most days so too early to ski over. Some guys drove over every day and were late twice (due to snow on the road over)

+1

The 2-week course is tough enough as it is without adding the vagaries of commuting from Tignes to Val every day.

You know it makes sense.

You know it makes sense.

@Duplo, on accommodation there should be loads of options. I did self catering at la daille which worked really well. No stress for morning or evening meets and I even managed to pop back at a few lunchtimes for a homemade sandwich to save a few more euros!!

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Strongly recommend ICE - did L1 and 2 with them last season. All the trainers are excellent, several ex-demo team.

One of the guys on my L2 stayed in Tignes (might have been you @247snowman?) we always met at the top of Bellevarde, so doable, but make sure they are happy to do that before you book. If you'd have to get to val, forget it.

Poster: A snowHead

Poster: A snowHead

What if the wind gets up and shuts down the high lifts,? We had one day only the funicular ran and one day only nursey slope open, so skiing from Tignes wouldn't have been possible!

Just booked my place on the BASI Level 2 in Hintertux. I'm very impressed with the number of recommendations for ICE, and will definitely consider them in future, but in the end it just came down to money. I'm sure the BASI course in Hintertux will be every bit as good though.

Now I'm excited and nervous in equal measure. You always tell yourself you're good enough, but nothing like putting it to the test!

Cheers,

Denry

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Think I'll be out there then as well... maybe grab a beer one evening?

@turbosmurf, did we meet last season then? We were there from early Jan and tended to ski with the older L2 guys (Angie and Paul for example) and we were the 50 something guys and gal (if that rings a bell!).

@turbosmurf, did we meet last season then? We were there from early Jan and tended to ski with the older L2 guys (Angie and Paul for example) and we were the 50 something guys and gal (if that rings a bell!).

Sorry, missed this until now - no, don't think so. I did L1 in Jan, but L2 in April. But maybe see you for L3 sometime

You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.

You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.

kitenski wrote:

@Duplo, @turbosmurf, are you there now? If so good luck!

Thanks! Just back from tux but was only doing L3 performance. Lots of snow, really bad viz until Friday, but great course and trainer, and excellent organisation.

Ski the Net with snowHeads

Ski the Net with snowHeads

kitenski wrote:

@Duplo, @turbosmurf, are you there now? If so good luck!

Just heard the good news, well done @Duplo!

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Also just back from BASIland. Had to change my signature.

And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.

And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.

@stevomcd, congratulations!

So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much

So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much

Thanks!

You know it makes sense.

You know it makes sense.

That's awesome Stevo! Well-deserved and hard worked for. Very impressive.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@stevomcd, I bet that feels good!

Poster: A snowHead

Poster: A snowHead

@stevomcd,

Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person

Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person

Thanks all! @balernoStu, it does indeed!

Been a long time coming, hard to work super-hard for it and had my fair share of bad luck. Maybe a little bit of good luck this time, but I'll take it! (If you're going to pick someone to sit the exam when the weather is terrible and the snow is getting on for waist-deep, the Scot who lives in Sainte Foy is maybe not a bad choice!).